#WheresRey, part of the movement of #Wheres[female lead with no action figure], has yielded an action figure for Rey in Hasbro’s first wave merchandising campaign for Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, unlike merchandising for the previous movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Vulture reports. Hooreyyy.
Thus concludes one chapter in the saga which began in 2015, when fans noticed that Hasbro’s 2015 action figure for Rey–the female lead of The Force Awakens–was completely wrapped and unrecognizable in her scavenger garb; not only that, but she didn’t even get a piece in the Monopoly game. JJ Abrams called it “preposterous and wrong.” Hasbro quickly remedied the action figure issue and had promised to add her to the Monopoly set last year to the adorable pleas of a child, but then took it back and only sold the Rey Monopoly version online, citing “insufficient interest.”
Hasbro has changed its strategy this time around, Entertainment Weekly reports, with the added consolation prize of a lightsaber. Rey still needs her Monopoly piece to rest upon physical store shelves in the US; how her presence on the box cover is supposed to turn off customers is curious, since the movie was the highest-grossing in 2015, and presumably she was on the posters because she was the main character.
Fans have complained that other female leads like Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy played by Zoe Saldana and The Black Widow from Marvel movies recently played by Scarlett Johansson have been missing from merch campaigns. Meanwhile Margot Robbie in underwear was front and center in the Suicide Squad collectibles. Just saying.
GET JEZEBEL RIGHT IN YOUR INBOX
Still here. Still without airbrushing. Still with teeth.
